Apparatus and method for making mineral wool



March 8, 1938. H. F. vlEwi-:G

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MAKING MINERAL WOOL Filed May 1s, 1936 v INVENTOR H'e/man F.' l//eweg.

EMM/M ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 8, 1938 g UNi'rEo STATES PAT'ENr .i N

3.11am u APPARATUS AND METHUD FORl MINERAL WOOL Herman r. View, Ingham rai-k, N. J.,- 'usignor to Johns-Manvllle Corporation, New f York, N. I., a corporation of New York Application may 1s, 193s. semina. 19,4413

zo claim (ci. isi-zi) at a temperature of about 2,400 F., into'a rapidly moving blast of steam. 'I'he fibres thus formed. along with a lesser proportion of unberized and shot-like particles that it is practically impossible to avoid. are carried as a suspension in!v a gas stream into equipment for recovery ofthe suspended solid material from the stream. Thus,

the suspension of'ilbres and shot may be introduced into a large settling chamber and the fibres and shot allowed to settle into a felt on the bottom of the chamber, suitably a moving conveyer belt of air-permeable material. It' is an object of the invention to provide means for separating effectively the desired fibrous material from the incidentally occurring shot-like particles in the suspension described.`

Another object is to recover, that is wash from the separated shot an additional amount of nbres that may be originally entangled therewith. An-

other object of the invention is to form a relatively uniform and coherent felt of the mineral 3u wool libres. A further object is to reduce the size of the blowing chamber required for a given rate of production of silicate wool. Otherobjects and advantages will appear from the description that follows. 1

I The invention comprises the novel features of the method and apparatus herein described', particularly the method of and means for deiiecting completely the stream of gas containing the suspended -iibres and shot-like particles and then 40 felting the ilbres in the upwardly deflected stream. In one embodiment, the invention comprises the washing, by air or other gas'. of the shot-like particles separated by the deection of the suspension of bres. The invention is illustrated in the attached drawing and will be described for the of exempliilcation in connection therewith.

Fig. 1 shows a. side view of my improved apparatus, partly broken away for clearness of illustration.

v l Pig.12 shows a plan view of the same. suspension of mineral wooll fibres with a :"p'roportion. of shot-like particles is blown i Ii'into a somewhat tubular blowing l! that increases substantially in width (between the side. edges is and u) and becomes, progressively, substantially wider than the-thickv -ness ofthetube, thatis. Athan the'distance between the top i! andthe bottom It thereof.' For' instance..I.have used a tube of approximately 5 1 foot diameter aty thefend adjacent to the shredding position il that expands continuously to a maximum width, measured horizontally/,of about 5 feet. A v

`:suitably tbistubumr blow chamber-may be 1oiiojfeet or so in length and may slope upwardly away from the shredding position Il, say at a pitch of about an inch to 'the foot. At thefar end maybe placed the air-permeable felting member 22,' with means'for producing suction 15 therebehind. Y

The suspension of iibres and unflberized materials inthe gas is formed into a flat band as the suspension-moves'through the tube and there is a gradual reduction of the velocity of the 20 stream or band as the tube increases in width. I'his produces separation of the unnberized shotlike particles from the suspended fibres which figg more buoyantand have a lower rate of set- At the z'one indicated generally by i1, there is an upward deflection of the flat band or stream. '111e deflection follows the curvature i8 of the upper wall of the tube. This deflection causes separation of shot-like 30 particles from fibres, 'the said particles tending to continue nearly in their normal trajectories. whereas the relatively buoyant nbres follow closely the direction of lthe deflected stream of las. 35

To wash out those libres that 'may be entangled with the separated shot, there is introduced, into the primary gas stream described. an auxiliary 'stream oi' gas, such as air, through one or more louvers I8. Preferably, there is a 40 'series of louvers each extending substantially completely across the lower portion of the said tube. The louvers are preferably closely adjaf cent to the said zone of deflection of the primary stream and are in'part atleast disposed beyond 45 the point at which thedeiiection begins, on theV convex side of the stream.

The lowest part of the-felting member 22v exposed to the stream is above the plane ofthe straight portion of the top IS of the tube I2; 50

A result of these features described is denec-f tion of the primary stream, generally in thefdi-` rection of -a smooth arc of a circl rf The gas admitted through the louvers fily pro'l duces a progressive or repeated washing of the 55 3. In an apparatus for making mineral wool.'

means for blowing a suitable molten material into fibres and, unfiberized particles and suspending the fibres and particles in a stream of gas, suction means for deflecting the stream including the suspended fibres, a trap for the reception of the unfiberized particles separated by deflection of the stream and disposed at a' ption to v 4. A method of making mineral wool compris-4 ing projecting a fluid jet against molten material to form bres and unflberized vparticles suspended in a moving gaseous medium, confining the moving gaseous medium toa definite cross-sectional area, progressively increasing the crosssectional area of the stream horizontally and in the direction of movement of the stream to decrease the velocity of the fibres and to induce separation of the unfiberized particles therefrom, and'recovering the fibres from the gaseous medium. I

5. A method of making mineral wool comprising projecting a fluid jet against molten material to form fibres and unflberized particles suspended in a 'moving gaseous medium, confining the moving gaseous medium to a definite cross-sectional area, increasing the cross-sectional area in the direction of movement of the stream to decrease the velocity of the fibres and induce separation of the particles therefrom, applying suction to the stream to change the direction of movement of the fibres to a greater extent than the direction of movement of the particles and thereby producing further separation of the iibres and particles, directing the heavier particles away from the fibres, and recovering the fibres from the gaseous medium.

6. A method of making mineral wool comprising projecting a fluid jet against molten material to form fibres and unfiberized particles suspended in a moving gaseous medium, confining the moving gaseous medium to a definite crosssectional area, increasing the cross-sectional area in the direction of movement of the stream to decrease the velocity of the fibres and induce separation of the particles therefrom, applying suction to the stream to change the direction of movement of the fibres to a greater extent than the direction of movement of the particles and thereby producing further separation of the fibres and particles, and recovering the fibres from the gaseous medium.

7. A method of making mineral wool comprising projecting a fluid jet against molten material to form fibres and uniiberiaed particles suspended in a moving gaseous medium, confining the moving gaseous medium to a definite crosssectional area, increasing the cross-sectional area in the direction of movement of the stream to decrease the velocity of the fibres and induce separation of the said particles therefrom, changing the direction of movement of the fibres to a greater extent than the direction of movement of the particles by defiecting the movinggaseous medium and thereby producing further separation of the fibres and particlesfdirecting the heavier particles away from theflbres, passing a gaseous stream counter-current to theV particles to wash entangled fibres therefrom and return the washed fibres to the suspended fibres. and recovering the fibres from the gaseous medium.

8. A methodof making mineral wool comprising projecting a fluid .iet against molten material to form fibres and unfiberized particles suspended iny a moving gaseous medium. confining the moving gaseous medium to a definite cross-sectional area, increasing the cross-sectional area in the direction of movement of the stream to decrease the velocity of the fibres and induce separation of the said particles therefrom, applying suction to the stream to change the direction of movement of the fibres to a greater extent than the direction of movement of the particles and ,thereby producing further separation of the fibres and particles, directing the particles away from the bres, and recovering the fibres on a foraminous surface with the aid4 of suction applied therethrough. I g x 9. A method ofmaking mineral wool lcomprising projecting a fluid jet against molten material to form fibres and unfiberized particles suspended in a moving gaseous medium, confining the moving gaseous medium to a definite crosssectional area, increasing the cross-sectional area in the direction of movement of the fstream to decrease the velocity of the fibres and induce separation of the said particles therefrom, changing the direction of movement of the fibres to a greater extent than the direction of movement of the particles by de'fiecting the moving gaseous' medium and thereby producing further separation of the fibres and particles, directing the particles away from the fibres, 'passing a gaseous stream counter-.current to the particles to wash entangled fibres therefrom and return the washed fibres to the suspended fibres, and recovering the fibres on a foraminous surface with the aid of suction applied therethrough. f

10. A method of making mineral wool comprising projecting a fluid jet against molten material to form fibres and unfiberized particles suspended in a moving gaseous medium, confining the moving gaseous medium to a definite cross-sectional area, applying suction to the stream to change the direction of movement of the fibres to a greater extent than the direction of movement of the said particles and thereby producing separation of the fibres and particles, directing the particles away from the bres, and recovering the fibres on a foraminous surface with the aid of suction applied therethrough.

11. A method of making mineralwool comprising projecting a fluid jet against molten material to form fibres and unberized particles suspendto the particles to wash entangled libres therev from and return the washed fibres to the susilbres. and the ons.

toraminous surface with the aid oi suction apticleameanstordeilectingtheparticlesaway' fronitlieilbi'es,meansiordi'rectingastreamo!V gascounter-currenttotheparticlestowashentangled iibres thereiromv and return the yashed ilbresto thesuspended iibres,andmeansiorre covering the suspended libres.

i3. An apparatus ior making mineral wool com-- prising means lfor treating molten material to iorm ilbres and unnberised parcles suspended in a moving gaseous medium. means for confining v said gaseous medium and suspended substances to a deiinlte cross-sectional area which progressively increases horizontally and in the direction o! movement oi the suspension. to thereby decrease the velocity ot theilbres and induce separation o! the iibres and said particles. and means tor recovering the suspended iibres. i4. An apparatus for making mineral wool comprising means for treating molten material to form iibres and uniiberised particles suspended ina moving gaseous medium, means .for conilning said gaseous medium and suspended `substances to a deiinlte cross-sectional area which progressively increases horizontally and in the direction oi movement oi the suspension, to thereby de, crease the velocity oi the libres and induce separation of the iibres and said particles. means for deilecting the particles away from the brcs, and means for recovering the suspended nbres. l5. An apparatus for making mineral wool comprising means for treating molten material to form fibres and uniiberised particles suspended in a movin!! gaseous medium. means for conilning said gaseous medium and suspended'substances to a dennite cross-sectional ai'ea which :t1-'fossov f to a deiinite-cross-sectional. area proactively thedirection ment 0! velocity oi theilbresand theiibresanlisaidparticles,meanatorcliasging.4 n thedirectionoimovementoithe'gaseommedimnw' the icraminous member.

i'l. An apparatus ior making mineral wool comprisingmeansiorproiectingaiiuidietagaiult attheendoisaidtuheremoteiromtheietsand 'atrapiorthereceptionoithesaidpardelesin the suspension, and a ilbre felting member positionedattheendoi'saidtuberemoteiromtheiet.

19. The method oi 'producing mineral Wol comprising forming libres and uniibsrind par tieles from heat liqueiled raw material andampendingtheilbresandparticlesinamovinggas.

eous stream. coniining the moving streamtoa denite cross-sectional area.increasingthecr sectional area in the direction oilmovement oi 'crease the velocity Athereof anddraw the ihres awayfromtheuniiberisedparticleaandrecoveringtheilbresiromthestream..v v l An apparatusjior producing minerai woolk comprising means for treating molten materials toiormiibrasandunilberisedparticles in a moving gaseous streannmeans for ccnnning said stream to ya deilnite'cross-sectional area which progreively increases in the direction oil additional gas into the stream to increase tlie` velocity thereof and further separate the libres from the particles, andmea'ns for collectingthe gg ilbres from the stream.,

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